MPI Handoff & Review
The MPI is the heart of the dealership's customer experience. The advisor sets it up. The tech captures it. Parts prices it. Then the advisor closes the loop with the customer. Per the Dyer SOP, this flow is automated — but every step still needs an attentive owner.
Understand the full MPI flow at Dyer — tech inspection → automatic routing to Parts → Parts pricing → Advisor review → Customer call — and what the advisor owns at each step.
The Dyer MPI Flow
Per the SOP, the MPI follows a specific automated path. Every advisor should know it cold:
- Technician performs the MPI and records a clear walk-through inspection video.
- All lines should be diagnosed if applicable before sending to parts.
- Once completed, the MPI is automatically routed to the Parts Department (via CDK).
- Parts reviews the inspection, prices out recommended parts, and completes the parts section in CDK.
- After Parts finalizes, the Advisor reviews the completed MPI.
- Advisor calls the customer within 15 minutes of the MPI being sent.
What the Advisor Owns Before the MPI
1. Clean write-up
Covered in Lesson 5. The tech can only inspect well if the write-up gave them context — customer concerns in detail, history, recalls, warranty.
2. Brief the tech (optional but high-impact)
If there's anything off-RO the tech should know — customer is a loyal repeat, they declined brakes last visit, there's a road-trip planned next week — tell the tech. A 30-second conversation can shape the entire MPI.
"Hey Marcus — Mr. Carter's Tahoe is heading to you. He's here for the oil change and the check engine light. He declined rear brakes last visit, those are probably due now. He's planning a road trip in 2 weeks, so anything safety-related, make sure to call it out clearly on the video. Thanks."
What Happens While the Tech Has the Car
The tech does the MPI and records the video. They diagnose all applicable lines before sending. The MPI then routes to Parts automatically — the advisor doesn't have to hand it off manually.
CDK handles the routing. You don't have to chase Parts to "get it pushed through." But you DO need to be watching for the completed MPI in your queue — the clock on the 15-minute customer callback starts when the MPI is sent, not when you happen to notice it.
What Parts Owns
Once the MPI hits Parts, they:
- Review every recommended line
- Price out the parts needed
- Complete the parts section in CDK
This isn't the advisor's job — but it's the advisor's job to know it's happening, so when the customer asks "how come pricing isn't ready yet?" you have the right answer.
What the Advisor Reviews
After Parts finalizes, the completed MPI lands back in your queue. Before you call the customer:
1. Watch the tech video
Don't skip it. If the customer is going to watch it, you should have watched it first. Watch for:
- What the tech found and how they explained it
- Anything you didn't expect (so you're not surprised on the call)
- Quality issues — is the video clear, audible, and convincing?
2. Verify pricing makes sense
Parts priced it, but you're the one quoting it. Confirm the recommendations line up with the customer's history and your expectations before you pick up the phone.
3. Check warranty/aftermarket coverage
Before calling the customer: if there's any extended warranty involved, you must call in to the warranty company (or use their online portal) to confirm coverage and collect payment authorization. Don't quote the customer something only to come back later and tell them their coverage didn't apply.
4. Confirm the MPI video is sent to the customer
Per SOP, the advisor ensures the MPI video is sent to the customer via CDK (the platform that handles customer engagement messaging). Confirm it actually went out before you call.
The 15-Minute Standard
The advisor contacts the customer within 15 minutes of the MPI being sent. Not whenever it's convenient. Not after lunch. Fifteen minutes.
The customer just got a video. They're watching it now, while they're still warm. If you call them in the next 15 minutes, you're walking them through findings they just saw. If you call in two hours, the video is cold, the trust dropped, and they're skeptical. The CSI gap between a 15-minute callback and a two-hour callback is enormous.
The Customer Call — Menu Selling
When you call the customer, use menu selling in CDK to present the recommendations. The menu approach:
- Walks the customer through findings in a logical order
- Lets them see options (good / better / best where applicable)
- Keeps the conversation focused on the customer's choice, not your pitch
(Module 04 — Menu Sales — will cover the specifics. For now: use the CDK menu tools, don't freelance the conversation.)
Declined Work — Always Document
If the customer declines any of the recommended work, document it with a Declined Repair Op on the RO. Same as at write-up. Declined work is documented work — it protects the customer, the dealership, and creates the warm lead for next visit.
The Handoff & Review Checklist
Common Mistakes
- Calling the customer without watching the tech video first — gets caught off-guard on a finding.
- Letting the 15-minute window slip because the drive is busy. CSI takes the hit.
- Quoting work that's covered by warranty without verifying coverage first.
- Freelancing the customer call instead of using CDK menu selling.
- Forgetting to document declined work with a Declined Repair Op.
- Not entering SDL notes after the customer contact.
Manager Coaching Tip
Pull the MPI sent-time and the first customer-contact-time for every RO in a day. Anything over 15 minutes gets a conversation. Not punitive — coaching. Is it a workflow problem (too many ROs in queue), a habit problem (advisor isn't watching the CDK queue), or a process problem (Parts is slow)? The data tells you where to coach.